Tetra Pak has launched its full-year 2024 (FY24) Sustainability Report, highlighting a 25% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its value chain since 2019, marking a further five-percentage-point improvement since 2023. Within its own operations, the company has achieved a 54% reduction in GHG emissions since 2019 and reports 94% renewable energy consumption in its own operations, keeping the company on track to achieve net-zero GHG emissions in its own operations by 2030. Moreover, these environmental achievements go hand in hand with the company’s continuous efforts to improve livelihoods and strengthen economies through the delivery of safe food everywhere.
“By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 10 billion, driving a 60% surge in food demand. 5 Yet, while food systems are vital to sustaining modern life, they also account for more than one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. This growing tension between the need for increased food production and reduced environmental impact presents a critical challenge—one that Tetra Pak is committed to addressing. As highlighted in our latest Sustainability Report, we are driving more secure and sustainable food systems while mitigating climate impacts and improving livelihoods. We look forward to working with our customers and other stakeholders as we continue the journey.”
– Adolfo Orive, President & CEO at Tetra Pak.
The progress illustrated in the Tetra Pak FY24 Sustainability Report puts the company on track to achieve its 2030 ambition of reducing GHG emissions across its value chain by 46% (Scopes 1, 2, and 3), compared to the 2019 base year. This follows another year of significant development in decarbonizing the company’s own operations and helping its customers reduce their emissions through the equipment, technology, and services that Tetra Pak provides. Such advancements demonstrate the company’s ongoing commitment to working collaboratively with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders to achieve net-zero GHG emissions across the value chain (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) by 2050, compared to the 2019 baseline.
One significant contributor to Tetra Pak’s progress in reducing GHG emissions across its value chain in 2024 was the company’s resource-efficient equipment, whole-factory optimization technology, and packaging solutions with lower carbon footprints. These innovations have helped food and beverage producers maintain their competitive edge while reducing their own emissions.
For example, in 2024, GHG emissions from delivered ambient dairy lines decreased by 13% compared to 2023 and by 42% from the 2019 baseline. New equipment introduced this year, such as the Tetra Pak Tubular Heat Exchanger featuring unique, patent-pending Q corrugation, has proved particularly impactful. This design reduces the pressure drop by 40% (that is, the reduction in pressure as fluid flows through the tubes7), allowing customers to cut the electricity consumption of the heat exchanger pump (used during food and beverage production for processes such as sterilization and pasteurization) by up to 40% compared to the previous market-leading model. As a result, customers benefit from both lower energy costs and a reduced carbon footprint.
Other notable achievements shared in the company’s FY24 Sustainability Report include:
- Helping food production factories achieve up to a 40% reduction in energy consumption and a 60% improvement in quality consistency, thereby preventing food waste, through Tetra Pak’s advanced manufacturing solutions.
- Providing 66 million children in 49 countries with milk or other nutritious beverages in packages through school feeding programs.
- Helping 84,000 smallholder dairy farmers across 29 Dairy Hub sites worldwide achieve greater income security while providing a stable raw milk supply to dairy manufacturers.
- Investing approximately €100 million in research and development to further enhance the environmental profile of cartons without compromising food safety. This investment led to innovations such as recycled polymer caps developed in partnership with Elle & Vire and the Tetra Brik Aseptic 200 Slim Leaf with a paper-based barrier.
- Launching the company’s award-winning 8 Approach to Nature framework, which outlines specific actions and more than 20 measurable targets aimed at halting and reversing nature loss. This framework supports ecosystem restoration and enhances water security.
- Strengthening and scaling the company’s engagement with workers across the value chain through worker voice surveys, impact assessments, and third-party interviews.
- Engaging 150 suppliers through its supplier sustainability initiative, Join Us in Protecting the Planet.